Decals or paint?
The Hinomaru and yellow leading edge strips are supplied as decals and on looking at the decals more closely they seemed quite thin. This is good as the red national markings were used but I decided to spray the yellow leading edge strips. This is an easy matter and I used Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow, thinned with Tamiya thinner and spray on, also using this manufacturer’s masking tape.
The advantage with gloss enamel paints is that the decals go on very well and did settle quite nicely into the recessed detail. When fully dry though (overnight) I emphasised some of the panels using thinned Gunze Smoke Gray.
Further weathering
I wanted this model to have a pretty flat finish and used the very good Alclad II Klear Kote Matte. This gives a nice flat finish, ideal for applying further weathering using ordinary graphite pencil. Subtle chips and scratches add to the final finish in my opinion and these were applied around the usual areas like cockpit sides and access panels.
Finishing up
The final tasks can be completed now and this meant adding the canopy glazing, aerials, undercarriage units and propeller. The undercarriage fits very well and it’s worth enhancing the parts with careful dry-brushing and detail painting. Add to this the tiny clear navigation lights on top of each main wing (2 per side) and that just about does it, suddenly bringing the model to life.
